The Basics: How to Make Meatballs in Red Sauce

From the store to the kitchen to the table: We outline the steps that get you from raw ingredients to your dinner tonight, free of measurements and complicated techniques. It’s a method you’ll remember and whip out whenever you like. It is the most basic way to make the thing you’re making—like some of the best Italian-American meatballs in red sauce you’ll ever taste.

You’ll need:

a large saucepan with a lid

three thick slices of French or Italian bread (enough to make about 3 cups of bread cubes)

Remove the bread crusts and discard. Chop the bread into roughly 3/4-inch cubes and place in a small bowl. Pour in enough milk to just cover the cubes, and smoosh them down with your hands so they absorb the milk. Let stand 5 minutes.

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Meanwhile, pour the tomato sauce into a large saucepan. You should have enough to come about 2/3 of the way up the side of the pan. If it seems too thick, add a little water. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and gently simmer.

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Finely chop the garlic and parsley; set aside. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat with a fork until just broken up; set aside. Put the flour in a small dish or on a plate; set aside.

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Add the garlic, parsley, beaten eggs, and Parmesan to the meat mixture. Season with a few large pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Using your hands, quickly mix until evenly incorporated. (Optional step: Form a tiny patty from the meat mixture and cook it in a frying pan to check the seasonings. Adjust as desired.)

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Form the meat into 1.5-inch balls. If your hands start to stick to the meat, wet them with water. Roll the meatballs in the flour until they are lightly coated.

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Carefully drop each meatball into the simmering sauce, cover the saucepan, and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Now that the meatballs have set, gently stir them, cover, and continue to simmer for 35 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for 5 minutes more.